Data Analyst Review

I really enjoyed the opportunity to gain an understanding of how big business works. Although the role wasn't technically challenging, and at times I felt a bit short of things to do, I feel the whole placement was very worthwhile. Meeting new people and forging professional connections and friendships was very valuable to me.

There will always be, to some extent, a slight disparity between normal employees and placement students, however in my experience this year, that was minimal. I felt valued within my team, who were always keen to hear my input and ideas.

I did not overlap with my IP predecessor, so the handover was very limited. Despite this, my manager, did a great job of bringing me up to speed in the first few weeks. I did not feel overwhelmed or overly stressed during my placement, and I think this can be accredited to managers/supervisors understanding what I wanted to get out of my placement, and helping me work towards that.

I had 2, week-long periods over my placement where I really felt stretched due to a good high workload. The rest of the time I was happy to bumble along with the amount of work I had, but for my successors in future years, I would suggest bigger projects and more pre-determined work. I do accept however, that due to the nature of my role and my team, the work was very ad hoc.

A lot of my day to day activities, due to the small size of my team, came with quite a high level of responsibility. I was responsible for managing a data load each week, which provided vital supply chain information to the whole organisation. There were points though, where I felt that I and the other IPs were not in the position to make big decisions.

Technically, this placement will not have any impact on my degree studies. Biochemistry and my role at GSK had no real links, but that's what I wanted. I wanted to work on my business skills and personal skills, and this year has definitely helped with that. I have improved my organisational and people management skills, which will be extremely valuable in later life.

During my placement, some large personnel changes were implemented which heavily affected lots of people in my part of the organisation. I think this was a major contributor to a rather tense atmosphere in the office space, generally. The office was never an unpleasant place to be, but I quite often spent an hour or two working in another part of the building to help me focus better.

Overall, the placement was set up and executed very well. We were integrated into the team quickly and smoothly, and personal development was a priority in Manager/IP 1:1s. The IP Project, however, had a few negative attributes. This was understandable, as this was the first year IPs in our department had a project, but our feedback will hopefully help to improve this year on year.

Specific training was not really something that was invested in for my role, but I'm not sure my role really required any. In terms of investment in me, the company invested fairly heavily in making sure I had a good placement. I was lucky enough to go on a site visit to Germany, which was funded by GSK, and really helped me understand the value of the work I was doing day to day.

I would definitely consider returning to GSK in the future, after I graduate, as the company as a whole is a great place to work. There are so many different departments, and I have spent my spare time during my placement year finding out about the ones I would be interested in working within.

We had many opportunities to form friendships with other IPs and colleagues. Christmas parties, Boat Parties, and impromptu socials were paramount in my enjoyment of my placement year. I have made lasting connections with other students and GSK employees alike, and will definitely be keeping in touch with many people, both in a professional format and in friendship.

I did not live very close to my place of work, so the cost is not terribly pertinent - especially considering the known cost of living in London! The cost of socialising in and around the office area was very reasonable. The local pub offered us 20% off food, so impromptu visits were common.

Again, in my place of work, the nighlife was non-existent. However London as a whole has an incredible nightlife. I have immensely enjoyed the opportunity this placement has given me to live and work in London. It's something I've always wanted to do, and the evenings and weekends have been well spent in Central!

I was involved in a number of charity and volunteering activities outside of work. There were a plethora of others as well that I know other people got involved in too. GSK has many employee-run clubs and sports groups, as well as the gym on-site which I frequented as a welcome relief at the end of the day.